Stores will seemingly take a step back in time when they lock condoms safely out of site from young eyes. What made this trend appealing to retailers?
Long before America went through the sexual liberation that made contraceptives and magazines with dirty covers on them part and parcel on going through a check-out line, these items were kept behind closed doors- for moral reasons. Today, their reasoning is motivated by profit margins. Adolescents are stealing entire displays of condoms for their premature sexual encounters!
Stores have recently decided to take a page from the past and lock up condoms. You might think that has little to do with a grade school child. You would definitely be wrong. Although it is difficult for parents to face, children are beginning their sexual exploration younger and younger.
This trend is, in part, due to the readily visible contraceptives, suggestive magazines and media, including the evening news, video games, suggestive commercials and don’t forget my favorite – prime-time television.
In one study, “19 percent of urban, middle school students who reported having a boyfriend or girlfriend two years or more older also reported having initiated sexual intercourse, compared with one percent who never had a boyfriend or girlfriend and six percent whose boyfriend or girlfriend was their same age. Eight percent of sixth graders reported having a boyfriend or girlfriend who was two years or more older, and two-thirds of them reported having had sex in the relationship.”1
This study is enough to make any caring parent outraged! If this is the trend, what can we do to reverse the flow to protect our children?
Ø Limit T.V. viewing in total. Happy and healthy children are outside playing and participating in activities with peers!
Ø When your children do watch television, make sure you have watched 2-3 of the programs and have made sure they meet your family’s moral standards.
Ø Limit a grade-school child’s use of all electronics, not just the television. Today’s child has a plethora of electronics bombarding them with unwholesome messages from computers, radios and cell phones!
Ø Know who your children’s friends are. Make sure before they spend the night or leave the house you have the names and addresses of the place(s) they will be. Don’t be afraid to call the other parent if something doesn’t seem right to you.
Ø Purchase clothing that is age-appropriate.
Ø Prior to purchasing a video game, rent it from your local video store and play it with your children so you know exactly what type of content is within.
Don’t feel powerless! Even if media trends continue as they are today and stores lock up contraceptives only for loss-prevention and not for moral reasons, there is much you can do as a parent to stop premature sexual maturation in your children.
Environment and home life are cited as two major factors in determining a child’s reactions to outside influences. Parents, hold your ground!
1 Marin BV et al. Older boyfriends and girlfriends increase risk of sexual initiation in young adolescents. J Adolesc Health 2000; 27:409-418
